The Sands of Time
by Spectre1
Summary: Simply put, Indiana Jones and Lara Croft meet. You will have to read it to find out the rest. Its my first fanfic so please be brutal in your responses.
1. Chapter 1

SandsofTime __

The Sands of Time

No I don't own the rights to either Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones. Don't bother suing me because I don't have much money. It would be nice if I did but I don't. Finally to those who are reading this fanfic, please enjoy. 

Chapter 1

"Nazis, it had to be Nazis" Indiana Jones muttered as lowered his binoculars. He could see them off in the distance moving like ants along the desert valley, towards his location. 

He knew that his search for the lost temple, Azanka, was going too smoothly and now the Nazis were yet again interfering in his expedition. Like the past instances where they were searching for ancient artifacts, the Nazis hoped that this find would allow the Hitler and his unholy army the advantage the needed in the war. Unlike the previous artifacts which were supposed to be an ultimate weapon or a means to make the German army invincible, this one, called the Obelisk of Nafets, was rumored to allow a person to travel through time itself. 

Jones knew what they where after. 'Hell,' he thought, 'what else would the Nazis be doing in a godforsaken place like this out in the barren mountains of North Africa.' He had to reach the temple and retrieve the artifact before the Nazis got there. Fortunately for him, the Nazis only knew the general area in which the temple resided. Jones on the other had already pinpointed where it was due to an ancient tablet that he had come across during his travels. Those idiots where not able to steal his findings this time so they would not be able to beat him to the location. The question was, would he be able to hold on to the artifact so not let the Nazi get it.

Despite his head start and knowledge of the lost temple he knew that he did not have the luxury to take his time. Despite their lack of knowledge of the surrounding area, due to their persistence and greater numbers they would eventually find the Temple of Azanka and the obelisk therein. 

Deciding that he should get going and try to get to the temple first, Jones walked back to his camel and rode away. He would of much preferred a horse to this camel but being best suited for the desert and since it was the only thing his friend Salla had on him, he would have to make due. 

'Well,' he thought, 'at least I'm making good time.' Despite the rocky terrain and the fact that it was easy to get lost in this place, Indy was nearing the destination of his journey. He could tell he was close because of some carved statues he came across. One such statue, looking like an coiled viper, ready to strike at travelers passing by. Probably just meant to scare off unwanted visitors Jones figured. He didn't mind the stone ones, but it was the real ones that really scared him. He just hoped that he would not have to face any of 'em. 

Just then he spotted it. It wasn't that obvious, partially hidden behind a boulder, a narrow cave dug into the rock face. The place didn't exactly have a sign above it saying that it was the Temple of Azanka but he decided it was probably it. Tying the camel to a lone tree, long dead and bleached by the desert winds, he proceeded to walk towards walk towards the opening. The dark, cool air of the cave gave him relief from the hot, dry desert but Jones couldn't relax now, knowing that this place was most likely filled with traps and a wrong move would mean disaster. 

Seeing a torch hanging from the wall, he picked it up, lighting it to allow him to see what lay in store for him. A few hundred feet and five traps later he arrived at the main hall of the place. He was able to dodge the usual pit full of spikes and poison tip darts being launched from blowguns with ease thanks to years of experience. Now out of the passage but not out of danger, a vast open chamber welcomed him. Looking to his left noticed a small trough running along the wall, full of some type of oil. Lighting it with his torch, he was greeted by a serpent of fire running across the walls lighting various lamps sprouting from the wall.

The room now dimly lit could be seen. Surrounded by numerous pillars and sculptures of finely handcarved stone. They surrounded an open floor that probably held a multitude of worshipers but now it lay bare and empty. Beyond that, some steps lead up to a raised platform holding some more elegantly carved statues of ancient design reaching to the ceiling. Finally, in the middle of this elevated space lay an alter with the sought after Obelisk of Nefats. Standing roughly a foot in height and made of black onyx. It was covered with various gems and gold symbols of some sort while a layer of white ivory lined its corners. All this made the dark stone stand out even more as it seemed to draw in the light into the pitch-black void. The artifact was free of any observable imperfection, It was in perfect condition just like the rest of the room. 'Too bad,' Indy thought, 'I would of liked to take a closer look at this archeological find but time is of the essence. The Nazis would eventually find this place sooner or later and I can not afford to be around when they do. Still it would take them a while to find the place and since they did not know exactly where it is, I have a bit of leeway.' 

Not seeing and hidden traps he proceed cautiously, across the hall, and up the steps….

***************

Press her foot closer to the floor, the jeep sped up, allowing the wind to rush past at an even greater rate. The flat ground of a long dry riverbed that ran through the mountains made a winding path for the jeep to travel on. It had been a long journey and Lara Croft was eager to get to the rumored temple before nightfall. So far, her latest expedition had been relatively uneventful and was a bit of a relief from her past few adventures. Still though, it was this rush of adrenaline that she had received from being in constant danger that made her feel alive. This one was almost boring.

Using some satellite photos of the surrounding area, as well as some information she gathered about the Temple of Azanka, Lara was able to make a rough guess of where the temple was located. Fortunately, she guessed right and within a few minutes she was at the entrance to the temple, or at least where it had been. 

"Just great" Lara muttered as she surveyed the scene.

Where the entrance use to be, was now blocked with debris. The passageway, which was had collapsed, was probably due to the extreme age of the find. 'Being a couple thousand years old had taken its toll' she mused. The question now, however, was not how it happened but how she would get in. Then a though came to her 'Maybe there's a secret passage somewhere. Many ancient temple had been found to have back doors to allow the priest to enter and exit undetected, so why not this one?' It was a long shot and Lara knew it. Unfortunately, it was the only other possibility not involving a full-scale excavation. She would prefer, however, to work alone. It being a situation she was used to as well as the fact that she did not like other people slowing her down. As a result she set out to see if she could find another entrance.

About a half-hour later, Lara thought she had found it. At first it had glance, it had just seemed like one of the many boulders in the area. Upon closer observation she noticed that while it looked like it was imbedded in the surrounding rock, the stone seemed to finely cut and cool air was barely felt, flowing from along the edges. Testing out her theory, she gave the stone a light shove and the in return the stone slid back a bit. Continuing to push, the secret entrance opened before her, allowing her to feel the rush of damp, cold air coming out to from the hidden passage to greet the hot, dry air of the desert. 

Before entering though, she went back to her backpack full of supplies she might need which included her two Colt pistols she kept in her holsters, strapped around her waist. They were more out of habit than anything else, and besides she had leaned a long time ago that anything could happen when she goes to raid a tomb. If have to she could should herself out of any situation she might get into but she probably wouldn't have to, this place seemed pretty harmless so far.

Now that she was ready she set off into the passage, hoping that it would lead her to the temple. Turning on a flashlight, she followed the passage a while until it finally opened up into a small room from which hissing could be heard. Lara moved her flashlight around from the pit full of snakes to the remains of a rickety old wooden bridge that at some time at would've crossed to the other side. Unfortunately for her, it no longer crossed the pit and now lay dangling into it. She was left with one solution to her problem, she would have to jump. Even though being quite a long distance off, it was not out of her reach. 'If I took a running jump, I could make this' Lara thought, just before she did precisely that. Even though her jump was a bit short, she was able grab a hold of the ledge on the other side. Dangling a few feet from the floor while poisonous snakes slithered across it, waiting for her fall, Lara pulled herself up, not even fazed from the tragedy that almost befell her. 

Continuing along her route, she was confronted by a dead end. In front of her lay a flight of stair leading into the ceiling. Realizing that she was close to her goal, she looked for some sort of switch to open up another hidden panel. This time she did not have a hard time finding it, pulling the small lever attached to the wall, the ceiling slid open. 

Walking up the stair, Lara entered a much larger room this time. Shining her flashlight around she spotted an empty trough running along the wall for some reason. As she shown the light around the room, Lara was not impressed. The place was not in that good a condition. All the walls, pillars, and statues were covered with small indentations and chipped masonry. Lastly, she spotted the Obolisk of Nefats which the temple was rumored to hold. She did not know exactly what importance it held, however she did hear one account of it having to with time travel but that was ridiculous. The piece was in somewhat good condition though and seemed to hide in the darkness despite the brilliant artwork adorning the black stone. 

Walking over to it, Lara got a much closer look at it. The artifact practically drew her to it, captivating her attention. Glancing at altar that held it, she did not see any booby traps that she might set off. Deciding that it was safe, Lara went to pick it up. As she was holding it up to get a better look at it, all of a sudden her flashlight started to flicker, and all of her muscles tensed. Despite her efforts she could not let go of it and as her world faded into darkness she wondered what she had gotten herself into this time. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Still wary of the ground he walked on, Indy slowly proceeded up the steps to where his prize lay. Only a few feet off, the Obelisk was almost in reach. Again stopping to check for traps, he still did not find any. Seeing that the artifact did not have any discernable traps nearby, Jones grew the evermore cautious. 'This is not right' he thought, 'either the people who built this place used the room too often to have traps or there was something he was missing.' 

It scared him not knowing what to expect. As long as he knew there were traps, he could safely avoid them. If he did not know of any traps than he could not avoid them. This was the reason why his profession was so dangerous and most of his competitors were history. 

Not letting his worries get to him, Indiana proceeded forward and reached out to grab the relic. Just inches away now, he froze. Something wasn't right. As he continued to stare at the obelisk, he noticed something different about it. Instead of it's regular impression of darkness that was conveyed, it almost seemed now to give off light. That's when he noticed it was not his imagination. The obelisk actually gave off a slight glow, not only that but the light coming from it was increasing rather quickly. Realizing that something was definitely wrong, Indy had barely been able to mutter the words "Oh" and "Shit" before the brightness had reached it peak. As it did this, a sudden explosion of energy was released from the obelisk sending Indiana Jones flying back into one of the stone walls and landing on the floor behind a stone pillar, unconscious. 

**************

'What the hell happened? Last thing I remember, I picked up the obelisk, and everything went black. The obelisk! Of course, I must of activated a trap of some kind. At least I think I did. I'd rather have that then fight another monster spawned from another mystical artifact. Either way I'm glad that I am still alive' Lara thought.

That's when she noticed something was not right. Even from on the ground, Lara could tell she was still in the main chamber. Sure, it was the same room but something had changed. No longer was it dark but, from were she was lying she could see the flames coming from the narrow trough against the wall. Not noticing anybody around, Lara decided to investigate further. 

First checking that she was not hurt. Lara then proceeded to cautiously get up to look around, making sure she did not set off any traps or alert anybody who could be there to her presence. As she got a better view of her surroundings she noticed that something was definitely wrong. Unlike her last glimpse of the room, it was now in near perfect condition, nothing chipped or broken. It was almost as if she was viewing the room when it was still in use. Well, except for the bit of dust here and there, so it wasn't exactly that brand new. 

Looking back to the altar in front of her, Lara spotted the obelisk standing there, the same place she had found it before. Something was different about it now. It no longer seemed to draw her attention as it did before. The thing seemed almost lifeless and ordinary. Not wanting to test for traps the hard way again, Lara decided to let the artifact sit there for now. 'Its not exactly going anywhere' Lara mused as she decided to examine the room again and try to figure out what happened while she was unconscious.

This time looking of the room more closely, she spotted something she missed the first time around. She couldn't exactly tell what it was because it was slightly obscured behind one of the many stone pillars in the room. What she could make out, looked like a brownish pile lying on the ground. Deciding to get a closer look, Lara cautiously started walking over to get a better look. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she no longer was paying attention to the room around her and was focused on trying to find out what was lying behind the pillar.

She realized her mistake as she heard click followed by a lot of shouting as well as some more clicking from guns preparing to fire. Slowly turning her head she saw the group of people who had just came through a passageway leading into the room. From what she could tell, they looked like German militants based on their language and behavior. What also stood out was the fact that they seemed to prefer old weaponry over new ones since they were using old World War 2 guns varying from pistols to machine guns.

Not wanting to provoke them into using those antique guns of theirs, she remained still, examining the situation, waiting for them to make a mistake so she could make a run for cover. Slowly putting her hands up, Lara waited for them to make the first move. She did not have to wait long and saw a man come out from the passage who seemed to be the one in charge. After briefly surveying the situation, the man decided to open his mouth and speak.

"Ah, I see we were not the first ones here" he opened with in heavily accented English, "I was actually expecting to meet someone else but since you're here, how about telling us who exactly you are."

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing" Lara replied coldly.

"Well now, I asked you first."

"Croft….. Lara Croft." 

"And I'm Dietrich Heldermann"

"Now that we've gotten past the pleasantries, how about getting your men to holster their weapons" 

"Unfortunately my dear, this is more business than pleasure. But if you want we can get more 'aquatinted' later" Dietrich responded as he grinned evilly, not hiding his intentions. 

Resisting the urge to go over and beat the shit out of him, she forced herself to remain calm but not before her face had shown her anger and disgust towards the man.

Speaking in German now he ordered one of his men to get the Obelisk of Nefats and retrieve it. Running over cautiously to the altar, he went to pick up the artifact. Waiting for the grunt to trip something she watched intently. Picking up the obelisk, nothing happened, and then the soldier ran back and gave it to his leader. Confused for a moment, Lara realized that she must have tripped the only trap that there was, letting the soldier retrieve it unmolested. Taking the obelisk from him, Dietrich proceeded to study the piece briefly before turning his attention back to Lara.

*************

Waking up to the sound of the Nazis, it took Jones a while to figure out where he was. Determining that they had not found him yet and that he was safely hidden behind one of the stone pillars, Indiana assessed the situation. From the sound of it, there was someone else in the room with him besides the Nazis. Someone female, British, and going by the name of Lara Croft. He then heard a second person, male, German, and he used the name Dietrich Heldermann. Jones did not know who the first person was or what she was doing here, but the second name sounded familiar. Then he remembered who he was, 'the damn Nazi leader of this expedition' he realized. 

'It pays to know who your up against' he thought. That guy had been the one he heard of that was running archeological digs in the area. The woman he did not know. He had not planned on any third parties in this expedition and had not heard of any others through his contacts. What he did hear so far from his hiding spot however, was that she wasn't exactly friends with the Nazis. 

Carefully, looking out from behind the column, Jones saw one of the Nazis run up and retrieve the obelisk and give it to the one in charge. He couldn't let them take it, 'It belonged in a museum, this temple, locked away in some vault, anything but in the hands of those Nazis' Indy thought. Deciding to make his move, Jones reached for his revolver and pulled it out, aiming at his targets.

************

"A very fine piece indeed, I just hope its worth all the trouble to obtain it. If it can do what its believed to be capable of, it should ensure our rightful place as rulers of this world" said Dietrich. "As for you my dear, how about we go back to my tent and get to know each other better, alone" the last part saying with an evil grin.

Before Lara could tell him to take his invitation and stick it up his butt she was interrupted by a shout from near one of the pillars.

"Does that mean I'm not invited?" Jones said out loud as he pulled back the trigger, his gun responding as it let itself be heard. Not soon after one Nazi bit the dust, followed by a second as another bullet left the gun.

Seeing the soldiers switch their aim from her to the more immediate danger, Lara decided it was time to run for cover, simultaneously making a move for her pistols as she did so. Just as she was close to one of the many columns, one soldier turned to fire on her but was cut short by two shots from her Colt pistols. 

Having their numbers being cut down, the Nazi started to move to the closest cover, in this case, the passageway that they entered through. Even as they did this, the Nazis continued to fire back from whatever weapon they carried, whether it be a small pistol or a machine gun. They unleashed their rounds as Lara and Indy fired back. Their bullets pounding into their stone surroundings while the sound of gunshots reverberated in the confines of the chamber.

Yelling above the roar of gunfire, Dietrich gave the order to retreat. 

"We're done here, we have what we came for" said Dietrich to one of his subordinates as he exited the passage, back in to the desert which was quickly getting dark.

"What about them?" the soldier asked

"Destroy the entrance, seal them in"

"And if we need to go back to the temple?"

"It's not going anywhere, and neither are they" he said, laughing at his remark.

Almost at the same time, both of the adventurers noticed something was up. The usual flow of Nazis to replace the ones that had fallen had stopped and had actually reversed. All that was left now was just one soldier with a machine gun, continuing to keep Lara and Indy pinned down. All of a sudden he too had got up and ran back through the passageway. Now all that was left was smell of gunpowder and the deafening silence from the absence of the gunfire. It was now only Lara and Indy who remained. Wondering whether it was some trap and whether or not the other person would now fire on them if they went out into the open. 

Their first question was answered for them as a loud explosion shook the temple and clouds of dust and rocks came forth from the passage. Both realized that the Nazis had just blocked the passageway with debris, to try to seal them in the temple so they could not escape. Now that the Nazis were temporarily out of the picture, the two now contemplated how they would get out of the temple and how they would deal with each other.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As the dust that billowed forth from the passageway settled down and falling debris could no longer be heard, the room descended into an uneasy silence. During this lack of activity, both adventurers wondered how they got into this mess that was not all too unfamiliar for them. Deciding it was the best course of action to find out if this other person was a friend or foe, Indy called out across the room.

"Hey, you still alive over there?"

"Never felt better" Lara replied. "By the way, who the hell are you anyway?" she said calmly a few seconds later. 

"Oh yea that's right, we've never been formally introduced. I'm Indiana Jones and I believe you said your name was Lara Croft. And since were asking questions, how about telling me why you're here? I didn't hear of any other people looking for this ruined temple besides those guys out there and myself."

"The same reason as you, to explore the temple." Lara said while trying to think of where she heard his name before. It had rung a bell but she couldn't exactly place it.

"Speaking of which, we'll probably have plenty of time to look around now." After a slight pause Indy continued. "We don't seem to be enemies, so how about we put our weapons away and come out to talk face to face."

"I'll go for that, just as long as you keep that gun of yours holstered" she said after deciding it was the best course of action considering her current predicament.

Cautiously stepping out from their hiding places, both the adventurers slowly walked forward, ready to draw at a moments notice. Now both out in the open, they stopped, keeping a safe distance from one another. For the first time Indy and Lara got a got look at each other and sized each other up.

Despite getting a glimpse of her before, Indy did not get a good look at her because he was more concerned with the Nazis at the time. He was surprised at the way she looked, not dressing in the traditional clothing for going around exploring places like this in the desert. Instead she had on only a tight pair of shorts and a light blue tank top. In addition, she kept a small brown backpack and a pair of holsters with matching colt pistols strapped to her belt. Despite her rather "unprofessional appearance" as Indy thought of it, he had noticed however, that she could easily handle herself in a fight, and she wasn't exactly unprepared for this sort of event. All in all, what really drew his attention were her assets that she chose to show off.

To Lara on the other hand, Indy appeared to be some rugged American explorer who preferred to wear an old and beat up hat and leather jacket and some dusty khaki pants. The next thing she noticed was the whip he had dangling from his side. 'A whip? What kind of guy uses a whip nowadays' she mused 'At least he has the sense to use a gun.' In addition to his appearance, she also saw the way he admiring her. She could tell what he was thinking of, typical male reaction. She did think however that he wasn't exactly that bad looking though.

Lara was the first one to speak this time, saying "Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think we are each other's enemies, competitors maybe"

"Your probably right so how about we stick together and try to figure out how to get out of here and after that may the best man win."

Lara responds to this by raising her eyebrow and saying "the best man….?"

"Ok, best man… Or woman."

"Better" Lara smiles smugly and then adds, "Now that we got That straitened out, lets try to find a way out of here, shall we." She then proceeds to examine the only passageway that she could spot. "Well that's blocked" she said with a sigh, "I hope we aren't stuck here, It would be a rather boring way to die." Lara then began to contemplate her situation within the ruined temple.

Jones on the other hand was busy thinking of ways they would pass the time if they were stranded here. He would rather not have his career end there but at least he would have good company. 'Unfortunately she probably not that type of woman but hey, here's hoping' he thought. 'I wonder if anything like that would cross her mind right now.'

"The hidden entrance!" Lara shouted in realization as she startled Indy in his train of thought. "With all that's gone on I forgot about the passageway I entered through" she said.

"Huh" was all Jones could say, being momentarily confused. "Oh you mean like a secret passage or something" he said as he started to understand what she was talking about.

"Of course that's what I mean, what did you think I meant?" Before Indy could say anything Lara continued. "Wait a minute, the passageway is gone" Lara said looking around, "It must of closed by itself."

Quickly getting back up to speed on the task at hand, Indy went right to work hoping that he will be able to find a way out after all. "There has to be a switch or lever or something that will open it up. Where did you remember seeing it last?" 

"Somewhere along the rear wall"

"Whatever you say lady" Jones said as he proceeded to search the back wall for some hint of a hidden passage.

As Indy was doing this, Lara was looking over the wall and then eventually to the alter standing near her. As she was doing this she noticed something, one of the ones that made up the altar, seemed a bit different than the rest. Deciding to try it she pushed and was greeted with it moving forward as well as the sound of grinding stone.All of a sudden the ground under Indiana started to give way as he pitched back and fell into the opening in the ground that opened up beneath him. 

Looking up he saw Lara Croft at the top of the stairs, looking down at him. "Ooops, sorry about that" she said, grinning the whole time.

"You know, you could of warned me about that" he said angrily up at her as he got up and dusted himself off.

"Ya but then I couldn't see the look on your face as you fell down the stairs, priceless" she said as she picked up a torch near the wall and walked down the stairs towards Jones.

"Ha ha, very funny…… hey what's that?" he said as he went to pick up something he saw in a nook that was in the wall.

"What is it?"

"A piece of an old parchment" Indy said, carefully picking it up. "It has an something written on it but I can't tell what it is. How about you?" he said showing it to Lara who just shook her head. "Well, I'll keep it for now, I can translate it with some of the stuff I have in my bags."

"Well lets go, remember the longer we stand around the farther away those guys will probably get."

"Ladies first of course"

"Awww, are you still angry at me for not telling you about the stairs" Lara said playfully as she went ahead down the passage as Indy followed.

Soon they reached another room like the one Lara had encountered on her first time through but this time it was slightly different. No longer was the bridge broken but now it stretched out across the pit full of snakes. She momentarily stopped to consider all the weird things that were going on and what she was missing. Lara was interrupted however by a groan that was let out by Indy.

"What's wrong?" she asked 

"Nothing, it's just that I don't like snakes"

"Wait, your afraid of snakes?" 

"No I'm not afraid. I just have a health respect for them that's all" he said defensively.

"Right, whatever you say" she said, grinning the whole time.

"Just shut up and lets go" he grumbled 

As Lara proceeded across the bridge, Indy hesitated briefly to worry about the condition of the bridge over all these years but put that aside thinking it was his fear of the snakes. While crossing, neither of them noticed that one of the support ropes, that had held up the bridge for so many years was now beginning to give under their weight. Stepping onto the other side, Lara her something snap behind her and whirled around to find out what it was. She was surprised to find that one of the support ropes had broke and Indiana was left hanging on for ear life as the remaining rope was beginning to give way as well. Apparently Jones had also been surprised by the incident as well because of the shocked expression that was on his face. The remaining rope caught in a losing battle to hold him up on its own, was not gonna hold on for long and both of them knew it. Knowing that the other side was too far off, Jones reached for his whip and quickly made it grab a hold of a rock that jutted out near the ceiling. No sooner had he did this, the rope had finally given in and broke, letting the bridge fall and Indy dangle from his whip. Using the whip to gradually swing himself to the other side, Lara grabbed a hold of him and pulled him in. Now that he was safely on the other side, he let out a sigh of relief and untangled the whip from the rock that it was rapped around. Winding it back up and attaching it to his belt once again, Indy glared at her.

"Forgot to tell me about that too" he said ready to strangle her.

"I honestly did not know about that" she said apologetically.

Letting his anger slip he let out a sigh. "Why does it seem like you always narrowly avoid getting hurt while I always get the shit beat out of me."

Taking this as a good sign since his humor was still there, Lara decided to remark on his observation. "Just skill I guess, now lets get going"

He was about to dispute it when she turned and walked away. Following her, he finally came to a dead end where she proceeded to search the walls. Finding an odd looking stone panel, she stepped back.

"This is it, it should be able to be pulled open"

Walking up to it, he felt along the edges and found a grove built into the stone. Getting a good grip he prepared to pull on it but hesitated.

"If you want to tell me something a good time is now"

"No nothings gonna happen" she said rolling her eyes. "Your not gonna let me forget that are you?"

"Not likely sister"

With that remark he began pulling and was welcomed by the stone moving aside and was half blinded by the light that poured through the opening of the passageway. As his eyes adjusted to evening light, they walk out slowly into the hot desert air. 

"Ok, now that were out, where the hell are we?" Jones said.

"Near the temple, we should get back to the entrance and see if my stuff is still there."

"Fine by me."

Once again, Lara showing him where to go, they walked through the desert mountains for a few minutes before coming near the main entrance to the temple. Without word both slowed their pace and readied their weapons, careful of what they might find up ahead. As they crept around the final rocks hiding the entrance from view they lowered their weapons, it was deserted, No Nazis, no vehicles, no nothing. 

"They must of left already" Lara said out loud. "They probably got what they came for and I guess they decided to take my jeep as well" 

"Yeah, they took the camel I rode in on too, I guess they figured we wouldn't need it" 

"Well we do now"

"I guess we should try to follow them"

"On foot, they already got a head start on us and transportation as well."

"They will probably bunker down for the night soon so we can catch them then. That and you have anything better to do."

Realizing that he had a point, they set out down the mountain path in hopes of reclaiming the artifact and getting some form of transportation out of the wasteland.


End file.
